A Narrative History of Wise County, Virginia

A Narrative History of Wise County, Virginia
Author: Charles A. Johnson
Publisher: The Overmountain Press
Total Pages: 462
Release: 1988
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780932807298

This history is enriched with personal recollections and reminiscences. Its pages are filled with the names of those individuals who settled, or helped in some way to establish the County, as well as those who are remembered for various other reasons. The fifty-four illustrations include Wise County’s commonwealth attorneys, from the first (1856) to the twenty-first (1935).

Never Seen the Moon

Never Seen the Moon
Author: Sharon Hatfield
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2005-04-13
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780252030031

Never Seen the Moon carefully yet lucidly recreates a young woman's wild ride through the American legal system. In 1935, free-spirited young teacher Edith Maxwell and her mother were indicted for murdering Edith's conservative and domineering father, Trigg, late one July night in their Wise County, Virginia, home. Edith claimed her father had tried to whip her for staying out late. She said that she had defended herself by striking back with a high-heeled shoe, thus earning herself the sobriquet "slipper slayer." Immediately granted celebrity status by the powerful Hearst press, Maxwell was also championed as a martyr by advocates of women's causes. National news magazines and even detective magazines picked up her story, Warner Brothers created a screen version, and Eleanor Roosevelt helped secure her early release from prison. Sharon Hatfield's brilliant telling of this true-crime story transforms a dusty piece of history into a vibrant thriller. Throughout the narrative, she discusses yellow journalism, the inequities of the jury system, class and gender tensions in a developing region, and a woman's right to defend herself from family violence.

The Story of Wise County (Virginia)

The Story of Wise County (Virginia)
Author: Luther Foster Addington
Publisher: The Overmountain Press
Total Pages: 326
Release: 1988
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780932807304

Presents the history and lore of Wise County. This volume begins with early exploration by Captain Christopher Gist and Dr Thomas Walker, and concludes with a chapter titled Newspapers and Radio Stations. It includes topics that range from Indians and early settlers to teachers, schools, rail roads, jails and more.

Daniel Matheny: Maverick Tailor from Virginia, 1829 - 1876

Daniel Matheny: Maverick Tailor from Virginia, 1829 - 1876
Author: Nancy Bronte Matheny
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2016-11-18
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1365303977

Daniel Matheny, son of William Matheney, was born in 1829 in White Rock Gap, Alleghany County, Virginia. He married Salina Henry in 1844 in Gallia County, Ohio.

Virginia at War, 1862

Virginia at War, 1862
Author: William C. Davis
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2007-04-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 0813137632

The second volume in this history of Confederate Virginia examines the effects of military occupation, industrial expansion, and the Battle of Antietam. In Virginia at War, 1862, leading Civil War historians demonstrate how no aspect of life in the Commonwealth escaped the war's impact. The collection of essays examines topics as diverse as daily civilian life and the effects of military occupation, the massive influx of tens of thousands of wounded and sick into Richmond, and the wartime expansion of Virginia's industrial base, the largest in the Confederacy. Out on the field, Robert E. Lee's army was devastated by the Battle of Antietam, and Lee strove to rebuild the army with recruits from the interior of the state. Many Virginians, however, were far behind the front lines. A growing illustrated press brought the war into the homes of civilians and allowed them to see what was happening in their state and in the larger war beyond their borders. To round out this volume, indefatigable Richmond diarist Judith McGuire continues her day-by-day reflections on life during wartime. The second in a five-volume series examining each year of the war, Virginia at War, 1862 illuminates the happenings on both homefront and battlefield in the state that served as the crucible of America's greatest internal conflict.

The Story of the World

The Story of the World
Author: Susan Wise Bauer
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2004
Genre: History, Modern
ISBN: 9780329838515

Chronicles the history of the world from 1600 to 1850; discussing important events and prominent figures. Includes maps and illustrations.

The End of an Era

The End of an Era
Author: John Sergeant Wise
Publisher: Boston New York, Houghton, Mifflin
Total Pages: 494
Release: 1899
Genre: History
ISBN:

Melungeons

Melungeons
Author: Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman
Publisher: Mercer University Press
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780865548619

Most of us probably think of America as being settled by British, Protestant colonists who fought the Indians, tamed the wilderness, and brought "democracy"-or at least a representative republic-to North America. To the contrary, Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman's research indicates the earliest settlers were of Mediterranean extraction, and of a Jewish or Muslim religious persuasion. Sometimes called "Melungeons," these early settlers were among the earliest nonnative "Americans" to live in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. For fear of discrimination-since Muslims, Jews, "Indians," and other "persons of color" were often disenfranchised and abused-the Melungeons were reticent regarding their heritage. In fact, over time, many of the Melungeons themselves "forgot" where they came from. Hence, today, the Melungeons remain the "last lost tribe in America," even to themselves. Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson. Once lost, but now, forgotten no more.

Authorized to Heal

Authorized to Heal
Author: Sandra Lee Barney
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2003-07-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0807860549

In this book, Sandra Barney examines the transformation of medical care in Central Appalachia during the Progressive Era and analyzes the influence of women volunteers in promoting the acceptance of professional medicine in the region. By highlighting the critical role played by nurses, clubwomen, ladies' auxiliaries, and other female constituencies in bringing modern medicine to the mountains, she fills a significant gap in gender and regional history. Barney explores both the differences that divided women in the reform effort and the common ground that connected them to one another and to the male physicians who profited from their voluntary activity. Held together at first by a shared goal of improving the public welfare, the coalition between women volunteers and medical professionals began to fracture when the reform agendas of women's groups challenged physicians' sovereignty over the form of health care delivery. By examining the professionalization of male medical practitioners, the gendered nature of the campaign to promote their authority, and their displacement of community healers, especially female midwives, Barney uncovers some of the tensions that evolved within Appalachian society as the region was fundamentally reshaped during the era of industrial development.